WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee said Tuesday it continues to review several allegations against Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., including that he engaged in sexual misconduct and illegal drug use.
The bipartisan panel, which investigates ethics complaints, said in a lengthy statement that it is also examining whether Gaetz “accepted inappropriate gifts, granted special privileges and favors to individuals with whom he had a personal relationship, and sought to obstruct government investigations into his conduct. ”
The committee said it will take no further action regarding allegations that he “shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused state identification records, converted campaign funds for personal use, and/or accepted bribes or improper gratification.”
Gaetz, a key ally of Donald Trump on Capitol Hill, has denied all allegations of wrongdoing. On a post on X on Monday night, Gaetz pointed out that previous Ethics investigations into him had resulted in “exoneration.”
“The House Ethics Committee has closed four investigations into me that arose from lies designed only to defame me. Instead of working with me to ban stock trading in Congress, the Ethics Committee is now opening new frivolous investigations. They are doing this to avoid the obvious fact that every investigation into me ends the same way: my exoneration,” Gaetz wrote.
Gaetz, who led the successful effort last fall to oust then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., blamed the former House speaker and his allies who sought revenge.
“This is Soviet. Kevin McCarthy showed them the man, and now they’re trying to find the crime,” Gaetz continued. “I work for Northwest Floridians who will not be swayed by this nonsense and McCarthy and his henchmen know it.”
Even months after his firing, McCarthy repeatedly accused Gaetz of going after him to impede the ethics investigation.
The Ethics panel began investigating allegations that Gaetz may have engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use in 2021, when Democrats controlled the House.
The committee is now led by Chairman Michael Guest, R-Miss., who was appointed by McCarthy after winning the speaker’s gavel. The panel said Tuesday that it had “difficulty” obtaining information from Gaetz, but made the decision to move forward after speaking with more than a dozen witnesses, issuing 25 subpoenas and reviewing thousands of pages of documents.
“Based on its review to date, the Committee has determined that some of the allegations merit ongoing review,” the panel said.
The FBI spent years investigating Gaetz’s personal conduct, specifically allegations that he was part of a scheme that led to the sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl.
But in February 2023, the Justice Department informed Gaetz that it was closing the investigation without charging him with any crimes.
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
